#101 Basics Ep. 1: Let's break it down- No, seriously, the basics.

If you're new to photography and film-

Welcome.

If you're stuck with where to start, and what to know, fret not, we're here to drill the basics to you.

In this episode, we will discuss on 3 main things that affects the exposure:

1. ISO

2. Aperture

3. Shutter Speed

International Standards Organization a.k.a ISO

ISO affects your camera's sensitivity to light. Toggling with the ISO in your settings can either brighten or darken your photos. In other words, the lower the ISO, the lesser the camera is sensitive to light, whereas the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the camera is to light.

Question : So, shall I use lower ISO or higher ISO?

To put it simply, the settings of your ISO depends on the type of photo you're taking and the environment you're in. However, significantly increasing your ISO due to dark photos could also lead to a very grainy photo. What do we mean by grainy? Take a look at this photo:

Although, I must say, it is still very beautiful, but if you do not want to achieve such photo, lower down your ISO and instead, open your aperture to widest (e.g f/2.8), this allows more light to enter still and remove the grainy effect on the picture.

Now, What's Aperture?

Aperture is just like the eye, it widens and shrinks in size according to the settings we pick. The wider the aperture is, the more light the enters the lens, and it becomes even more focused on the subject, vice versa.

The first two photos are with wider aperture (lower), it creates a blurry background and sharpens the subject. The last photo is with a narrow aperture (higher), which focuses on not just the subject but the surroundings as well.

Oh, How about Shutter Speed?

Just like the title, it is the speed of which the camera shutter closes. Taking for example, a moving subject. The higher the shutter speed, it creates a shorter exposure, so the lens will open and close quickly to get the slices of the subject. The same thing goes for the opposite settings - lower shutter speed, longer exposure, lens will open and close slower to get a blurry shot.

Compare between the first and second photo, which do you think has a higher shutter speed than the other?

Phew, that was quite the crash course. Get this in your fingertips and you're good to go! At the end of the day, these are all just your technicalities. Knowing your subject, lighting and environment is equally as important. Let's discuss this in the next blog!